I am feeling better compared to last year by supplementing t3 only 6.25mg dose once early morning. I tried to increase the dose but makes feel more drowsy, almost keep me a sleep all day & night. At present I can keep awake for at least 12 - 16 hours per day and do light work but my digestion of food is taking longer & longer & I am down to one light breakfast & medium meal during 24 hours. I am supplementing with HCL with pepsin & other for protien digestion for each meal.

I saw my GP last week and he says all my test are normal and nothing to worry, except he is concerned on Cholesterol level and want me start on Statin Tablets although it is coming down compared to last year & year before results. Please advise as much as you can which will really appreciated.

6 Replies

I'm surprised your TSH is so high when FT3 is good. There is scope to increase T3 slightly, say 6.25mcg (quarter tablet) to raise FT3 higher and bring down TSH. FT4 is below range because you are taking T3 only. Do you take 62.5mcg in one dose or split into 2 or 3 doses?

Your high TSH is indicative of a struggling thyroid gland, when the pituitary gland secretes more TSH to encourage it to function better. Medicating T3 can lower the TSH and although your T3 dose is small, could mean your TSH is realistically a lot higher. Also your T4 level is too low, and again I don't think 6.25mcg T3 would have much impact.

Gut issues and high cholesterol are common in people with low thyroid hormone as this slows the whole digestive process down and impairs liver function in metabolising hormones and filtering toxins. Adequate bile is (indirectly) required for good thyroid hormone synthesis as are stomach acid and digestive enzymes.

Inadequate amounts can inhibit digestion of essential fatty acids and the absorption of improperly digested fat globules, raising cholesterol levels and leading to deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins (Vit A, E, K and D. Supplementing Betaine HCL with pepsin will help and I also used Ox Bile taken in a cycle of 1 before each meal on day 1, 2 before each meal on day 2, 3 before each meal on day 3 and then repeating.

I also supplemented Taurine that is a major constituent of bile and Curcumin which has an anti-inflammatory effect in gastric conditions as reducing gut inflammation will calm immune responses and histamine levels. Histamine helps control stomach acid and too much will further disrupt gut issues.

Everything is a vicious circle. I supplement digestive enzymes and milk thistle which helps keep the liver clear. .Also address any gut issues such as candida, parasites and dysbiosis, and supplement probiotics to help balance the microbiome.

You can not medicate further T3 because it might take you over range. Have you tried adding T4 (Levothyroxine) ? ? ...

Are you supporting your adrenal glands ? ? .. Adequate supplies of cortisol are required for good thyroid hormone synthesis, to modulate the immune system and especially in the gut where it lines the GI tract. You may find adrenal glandulars or adaptogens to be beneficial but would need to test saliva to ensure appropriate supplementation.

Four saliva tests that measure the available "active" cortisol (& DHEA) secreted at set times over a 24 hours period. The results will allow you to see any imbalances in the daily circadian pattern so enabling use of correcting supplements to aid your adrenal health. Unfortunately this test is not generally used or recognised by GP's.

The cost is £77.00 which is a discounted price for THyroidUK when code A42AQ is used.

T3 is the active thyroid hormone which controls the metabolism and therefore the symptoms. Your Free T3 is in the top part of the normal range, which is good, so you should not have hypothyroid symptoms.

With this good Free T3 it is unusual to have such high TSH and hypothyroid symptoms. One possible cause is a genetic condition commonly known as Thyroid Hormone Resistance. It causes hypothyroid symptoms and requires very high T3 levels (often above the top of the normal range) in the body to overcome the resistance.

It would explain your unusual thyroid blood test results - you have good Free T3 but your body wants it higher making TSH to stimulate the thyroid and also converting as much as possible of the Free T4 to T3.

6.25 mcg is a very small amount - equivalent to 25 mcg of T4, much less than the normal starting dose. Some people find that small amounts of thyroid hormone medication makes them feel worse and it takes larger amounts to help.

As it is genetic if there are other family members with thyroid problems, fibromyalgia, CFS, ME, Coeliac Disease, MS, Heart Disease or depression this would further support this possibility.

I have brother & sister who suffers from Thyroid problems. So it may be genetic. I have sent of DIO2 test to see if thst is the case. Would you advise higher dose of T4 with same 6.25mcg t3 or higher t3 as well ?